“If we make it through December…” What a busy month this has been! I feel like I was just writing November’s edition of The Head’s Herald, and here I am compiling information for December. As we say goodbye to 2016 and usher in a new year and the second half of this school year, I couldn’t be more appreciative and grateful for the St. Joe’s families and the faculty and staff. You all make each day a joy, and I eagerly anticipate returning in January to see everyone!

I want to give a special shout-out to students in Grades Five through Eight for taking Midterm Exams! They deserve to be celebrated for buckling down and “showing what they know” on these challenging assessments. Nice work, Jags!

Come cheer on our Jaguar Student Athletes as they embark on new seasons! Boys have begun Basketball, and Girls are playing Soccer. Schedules for both teams will be posted on our website at http://www.sjsonline.org/sports-schedules/ and will also be found on RenWeb. Go Jags!

The Early Childhood Academy will celebrate its annual Winter Gala on Friday, December 23rd. Parents can look forward to singing Christmas carols and participating in fun activities with their little ones. Please RSVP to Dolores at (561) 278-7735.

To celebrate the Christmas season, our faculty/staff and students worked tirelessly to decorate the exterior of their buildings. From the Reichert Center’s Winter Wonderland (complete with a huge igloo made out of milk jugs) to the Lower School’s retelling of Dr. Seuss’ How the Grinch Stole Christmas (starting on Third Grade’s door and ending on Fourth Grade’s wall), and from Schofield Hall’s live nativity with Fifth Graders acting as Joseph and Mary to the entirely student-created Middle School wing with tributes to the Elf on the Shelf and Peanuts, I hope our school community was able to bring a smile to your face—and help get you in the Christmas spirit!

Congratulations to Mrs. Emily Carter and Ms. Maha Bouhamdan for two successful Christmas shows! The Lower School Christmas Musical showcased our students’ amazing voices in PK through Grade Three in addition to the vocal talents and acting chops of our students in Grades Four and Five! Our Middle School students beautifully presented the Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols. I am beyond proud of our students’ achievements and of our wonderful Performing Arts program that allows these gifts and talents to shine.

Words cannot express how proud I am of our Eighth Grade students as they prepared, cooked, and served a delicious Christmas dinner to the homeless and underprivileged last week. The annual Angel Tree Dinner is a community service tradition in Eighth Grade, and this class was one of the best at being present and hardworking throughout the five-hour event. Special thanks to all of you for donating the ingredients: Christmas cookies, fruit cocktail, green beans, Cream of Mushroom soup, and dinner rolls. Very special thanks to Pam Schafer for supplying macaroni and cheese and to Randy Smith for the carry-out containers. It’s events like these that truly make Saint Joseph’s the unique and amazing place it is!

It’s not too late to order school pictures! While you won’t receive them in time for Christmas, I still urge you to view your child(ren)’s photos at http://mosaicproductions.zenfolio.com and place an order to commemorate this school year. Order forms are available in the Office, or please e-mail Carol Cunningham at ccunningham@sjsonline.org for one or if you have any questions.

If you are looking for a place to celebrate Christmas, please consider attending Saint Joseph’s Episcopal Church on Christmas Eve and/or Christmas Day! On the 24th, there are three services: 4:00 (Eucharist with Spontaneous Pageant), 6:30 (Eucharist with Illuminated Gospel & Band), and 11:30 (Choral Eucharist)—with carols being sung by the Choir beginning at 11:00. On Christmas Day, please attend our 10:15 AM service. We look forward to worshipping with you!

Looking forward to January, we have exciting things coming! The first Auction Planning meeting is scheduled for January 12th at 8:05, the Jaguar Fund Thank You Celebration aboard the Lady Atlantic is on January 13th, and an evening Parent Organization meeting in the Whitney Media Center will occur on January 19th at 6:30. Please invite your family and friends looking for a wonderful school to come to our annual Open House event on January 17th from 8:30 to 11:30. We will also celebrate Martin Luther King, Jr. on Wednesday, January 18th, during a Eucharist service. Finally, LAPS will take place on January 27th! More information on all of these happenings will be sent out after Christmas Break.

Finally, if you need to drop your child(ren) off at school prior to 7:30 AM, please utilize our Early Care/Before School Care program. From 7:00 to 7:30 each morning, students are to come to the Office as teachers do not open classroom doors until 7:30. I facilitate Early Care, so they are welcome to work on homework, AR read, or just visit with me. This costs $8 per day, and it is billed monthly through FACTS. If you have questions about Early Care, please let me know.

As always, if you have any questions, comments, or concerns, please reach out to the Office, to teachers, to Division Heads, and/or to me directly. The relationship between home and school is essential to all of us at St. Joe’s!